


What a Wonderful World

by jokheiz



Series: Into the Sproutverse [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Adopting, But also, Date Nights, Empty Nest Syndrome, Fluff, Just Add Kittens, M/M, Married Life, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and a lot of old man jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 09:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20776562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jokheiz/pseuds/jokheiz
Summary: “You guys look so, so sad all the time and you haven’t even been married for half a year yet! You’re so used to taking care of someone else, you don’t know what to do now that Mark and I are gone. Either you two need to figure out how to spend your extra time together doing exciting old man things—whatever that is—or you get another baby or something. Adopt a cat. Something you can do together. I can’t believe I’m giving my own Father life advice this good.”Johnny and Taeyong deal with empty nest syndrome.





	What a Wonderful World

**Author's Note:**

> i missed these two a lot so... we're back

Taeyong’s sigh was way too loud and way too long for Doyoung not to ignore it anymore.

“Alright, Alright, I’ll bite,” Doyoung turned down the volume on the episode of  _ Scandal _ they were supposed to be watching together. Taeyong couldn’t concentrate on it very well with his thoughts plaguing his mind. “What’s the matter?”

Taeyong sighed again. “I don’t know. I feel like I’ve lost something. Or that I don’t know what to do with myself most days. Is that what it’s like to be married? That doesn’t seem right.”

Doyoung threw the TV remote at him and Taeyong yelped when it hit his chest. “It’s not because you got married, it’s because you have empty nest syndrome! Mark and Donghyuck are gone and now after gaining one kid, you lose both. It’s hard, I know.”

Taking the remote to pause the episode because they were going to have to rewatch it anyway, Taeyong pouted. “Did you have it when Jeno went off to college?”

“Of course we did, Jaehyun had it pretty bad but it was also nice to have some quiet. Do you know how many books I’ve finally been able to read since he moved out? I’ve read so many books, Taeyong.”

That didn’t seem to make Taeyong feel better at all though. He sank lower into the couch. “I miss my babies.”

Doyoung rolled his eyes. “We all do. I mean, Kun might not since he’s off playing the husband of the rich on whatever island he and Ten are on right now, but that’s a different story. You know who misses them just as much as you and is also  _ definitely _ feeling empty nest syndrome?”

“Johnny.” Taeyong pouted. The thought that his husband was just as sad as he was really didn’t make him feel better at all either. Doyoung was doing a terrible job at cheering him up.

“That’s right, your husband. Now are you going to go home and cry with him about it or are you going to stay for dinner with me and keep watching  _ Scandal _ like you promised?”

“Wow,” Taeyong grumbled. “You’re still so mean to me, I never did figure out how Jaehyun deals with you.”

“Love and patience.” Was heard from Jaehyun’s office. Doyoung nodded in agreement. “You know I’m being harsh because I love you. And because I know you’ll feel guilty later if you miss out on  _ Scandal _ now.”

Taeyong sighed because he was right, he never felt good if he had to leave one of their scheduled viewings together early. Plus, it was a good distraction from the mini void in his heart that had been filled with the never ending noise of his children and their friends. He took the remote, rewound the episode and pressed play, immersing himself fully into the show.

Doyoung reached over at one point and rubbed comforting circles onto his shoulder. That made Taeyong feel a little better.

  
  
  
  


“Hey hon, how was dinner at Doyoung’s?” Johnny greeted him with that easy smile on his face, one that had stayed the same in the almost twenty years that Taeyong had known him.

“It was good, as always. Doyoung’s trying to come for my title as best cook.” 

“Well we can’t have that now, can we?” Johnny was standing in the kitchen when Taeyong had gotten home, he probably hadn’t even sat down for dinner and had just eaten it standing up while reading over assignments he was grading. The guilt that he’d left Johnny to eat alone clawed at him, so he slipped right into his arms, hiding his face in his husband’s chest.

Johnny’s arms wrapped around him automatically, one secure around his waist and the other around his shoulder, hand playing in his hair.

“Did you miss me?” Taeyong mumbled, quiet.

“Every second.” Johnny pressed a kiss to the top of his head and gently stroked his fingers along Taeyong’s neck. “What’s wrong?” Johnny always picked up on whenever Taeyong wasn’t feeling so good. Not that he was trying to hide it, he just didn’t know how to broach the subject.

Taeyong answered with silence for a while, so Johnny just held him, hands grounding Taeyong when he felt like he was going to fly away. “The house is too quiet.” He whispered eventually.

Johnny sighed. “I know.”

“You feel it too?” Taeyong looked up, chin on Johnny’s chest.

“Of course baby, sometimes I wake up and everything’s too still and I feel like there should be voices arguing about breakfast in the morning.”

The memory of all those Saturday mornings made Taeyong smile and Johnny didn’t hesitate to use the opportunity to lean down and kiss him.

“Then I look over and I see you curled up next to me, I’m so happy I have you and I don’t have to do any of this alone.”

Taeyong shuddered at the thought of having an empty house and not having at least Johnny in it with him. The arms around him grew tighter. Taeyong reached up with his own hands and caressed the wrinkles at Johnny’s eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you too baby, but please don’t be sad alone. At least do it with me.”

Taeyong reached up and placed his own kiss on Johnny’s lips that was easily reciprocated. “I will. But we didn’t get married to be sad together. Let’s try and be happier.”

Johnny chuckled. “You know, Hyuck scolded me about the same thing the other day when he called.”

“Oh I got it both from Doyoung and Mark. I don’t think they’ll ever let us rest, will they?”

Johnny nuzzled his nose into the crook of Taeyong’s neck. “It wouldn’t be our family if they did.”  
  
  
  
  
  


“Dad, could you hold the phone a little farther away from your face? I’m not trying to say hi to your nose hairs. At least trim them or something.”

“Whoops, sorry!” Johnny had been squinting to observe the screen of his phone carefully, making sure Donghyuck looked healthy while on Facetime with him. It was the new thing apparently, to video-call instead of a regular phone call. Johnny thought the kids these days must have good arm strength, holding a phone so far out made his arm sore after a while. “So, how’s school been? Classes aren’t too hard? You’ve made some friends I hope? Get along with your roommate?”

“I thought I made you promise not to worry about me?” Johnny watched Donghyuck roll his eyes. “I’m fine, Dad, I’m here to make sure  _ you’re _ okay.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s the opposite that’s supposed to be happening—in fact, it’s my job to worry about you—but I appreciate the sentiment, Hyuck.”

“Well I wouldn’t exactly call our family  _ ‘normal’ _ or even  _ ‘average’ _ so you sit down and listen to what I have to say.”

Johnny sat down in his favourite armchair and wondered when his baby sunflower had grown into an adult.

“You guys look so,  _ so _ sad all the time and you haven’t even been married for half a year yet! You’re so used to taking care of someone else, you don’t know what to do now that Mark and I are gone. Either you two need to figure out how to spend your extra time together doing exciting old man things—whatever that is—or you get another baby or something. Adopt a cat. Something you can do together. I can’t believe I’m giving my own Father life advice this good.”

“Just so you know, it’s unsolicited life advice.” Johnny reminded him, because Donghyuck and Mark were the ones who always brought it the subject up. He was still grateful both his sons were concerned about them,of course, but the worst part was when they were right, Johnny and Taeyong  _ did _ need to find something to do to occupy the free time they had now.

“Just promise me you’ll at least go out together twice this week—do something you’ve never done before, and then you report back to me.”

“I promise.”

“Don’t just go to the bowling alley again, do something new. Go to a knitting club or bingo night or something.”

“Jesus, I’m not in a retirement home yet, Hyuck.” Johnny guessed that even if he was, he wouldn’t be able to escape his son’s teasing.

“I don’t know what old people do! Sit, watch the TV and pick your nose?”

“Love you, Hyuck.” Johnny smiled.

Donghyuck grinned back at him. “Love you too, Dad. Try not to miss me too much.”

“I’ll try.” An empty statement. Johnny already missed his son more than he’d ever know and he knew his son missed him back. Change was always hard, but it didn’t have to be a bad thing. Just a new thing. A new step. He had to make the best out of the changes that were happening in their life.

The Facetime call ended and Johnny flicked his glasses from the top of his head onto the bridge of his nose and started looking up places he could take Taeyong.

  
  
  
  
  


“This isn’t the way to the bowling alley.” Taeyong knew the way there by heart and Johnny was currently driving them down roads he’d never even been on before.

“That’s because we aren’t going to the bowling alley.”

“But I thought we—”

“You assumed we were going to the bowling alley because that’s what we always do.”

Taeyong pursed his lips because his husband was right, they always went to the bowling alley. Could he be blamed though, it was their spot! Had been for years!

“Stop old man brooding, hon.”

Taeyong glared at Johnny in the driver’s seat, who was grinning. “Mark told you that one didn’t he? Oh, he did. I’m not brooding.”

Johnny kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other patted Taeyong’s thigh, reassuring. “We’re gonna make change a good thing, okay? We’re gonna do something new tonight and hopefully we’ll enjoy it.”

As scary as change was, Taeyong looked forward to it. Tiny changes were easier to handle than bigger ones. He could definitely do a different kind of date night.

Taeyong could tell they were getting closer when he spotted the giant white billboard that was at the edge of a parking lot.

“Is this a drive-in theater?” He asked, the hint of a smile on his face. He remembered going to one as a kid.

“They’re coming back now apparently. Retro is the new cool. Which means Donghyuck needs to stop calling us uncool because we’re definitely a lot more retro than he is.”

“Don’t tell him that, he’ll just keep calling us old.” Taeyong laughed as Johnny parked in one of the closest spots to the screen in the parking lot. “And you thought sitting in the car for almost two hours would be a good thing?” He teased.

“Nope!” Johnny got out with a spring in his step and unlocked the trunk. Taeyong followed him, curious as to what their kids had put his husband up to. Johnny turned to him, camper chair folded under each arm. “I brought our best camping chairs.”

“The comfy ones?”

“No, the steel ones. Of course I brought the comfy ones!” Johnny jutted his chin towards the trunk and Taeyong pulled out blankets (their warmest camping blankets that they hadn’t even gotten to use yet) and a bag of self indulgent snacks.

Taeyong chuckled to himself as he helped Johnny set them up in front of their car and the commercials began to play on the big outdoor screen. Taeyong snuggled into his blanket and dug his hand into a bag of peanut M&M’s.

“What’re you laughing about?” Johnny chided him with a grin.

“Nothing,” Taeyong shook his head to hide his blossoming smile. He really did love Johnny a lot. “You’re just cute.”

“Damn right.” Johnny leaned over, kissed Taeyong like he hadn’t in years and stole a peanut M&M from his hand at the same time.

“Hey!”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“You took him to a _ what?! _ ”

“An amusement park! You told me to be more exciting!”

“Hyuck, what the hell did you tell them?!”

They were Facetiming both Mark and Donghyuck at the same time (a new discovery for them) while Johnny was on the couch and Taeyong was sat next to him, giggling.

“I said to do something  _ new _ , not try and die early! Oh my god.” 

“We’d never been before!” Johnny turned to Taeyong. “You liked it right?”

Taeyong nodded. “It was fun! I felt like a teenager with his new, hip boyfriend.”

They could see Mark grimace and Donghyuck audibly groaned. “Okay, gross.”

“I just thought, you know, when I was first falling in love with you,” Johnny was full-on ignoring the kids now, attention all on Taeyong. “I wanted to just run away with you and have late night drives where we don’t do anything but talk and eat fast food. Like teenagers. So I thought we could have a little taste of it now, and it was great!”

“It was definitely great.” Taeyong agreed with him, eyes sparkling. Though, Johnny had to admit, he definitely wouldn’t be able to get himself to go to the amusement park or anything that required the same energy once a week. Once a month was probably too much too. Maybe once a year, they just wouldn’t tell the kids.

“Oh my god, they’re gonna give me an early heart attack.” Donghyuck covered his face with his hand. “Stay home. Get another baby or something.”

“Hyuck, they’re too old for another baby.”

“We’re  _ right _ here.” Johnny interrupted. 

Donghyuck continued. “Okay but what about what I said before, about adopting a cat? A kitten you could raise?” 

“We’re not getting—” Johnny turned to look at Taeyong, to laugh at the suggestion but he stopped when seeing the pondering look on his husband’s face. “—Oh, nevermind, there’s some debate happening. Do you want to get a cat, baby?”

“We’ll leave you two to that conversation.” Mark was the smart one and ended the Facetime call for them, despite Donghyuck’s complaining. Johnny put his phone away and turned to Taeyong fully.

“You think we should get a cat?”

Taeyong shrugged. He played with his fingers in his lap. “I mean, I don’t know—taking care of something would be nice, and we have the time to spare to take care of a kitten. I think it would be nice.”

Johnny didn’t think he’d ever be able to say no to those sparkling eyes he’d loved for so long. It was a good idea too, get a baby they could both take care of, since technically they’d raised their own separately. Though the probability of the kitten learning to backtalk was high. Back-meow. Meow-talk? Johnny would have to decide which one was better and save that joke for later.

“Let’s do it then, let’s adopt a kitten.”  
  
  
  
  
  


It was that same week they went to the local humane society to check out the kittens up for adoption (they also definitely were not ruling out adopting an older cat, in Taeyong’s words “I can’t help whoever I fall in love with! I don’t discriminate!” to which Johnny had responded, “Catscriminate.” and the conversation had ended in a groan).

“Johnny, oh my god, Johnny, baby,” In Taeyong’s lap was the tiniest black kitten with bright yellow eyes that had settled itself there and refused to move for the entirety of their visit. “I love him, I love him so much.”

“Oh no, I’m gonna have to fight for your affection now, aren’t I?” Johnny leaned down to gently pat the kitten’s head with two of his fingers. 

“Yes, oh my god,” Taeyong gently ran his hand through the kitten’s fur with one hand and looked to the wall where there were pictures of all the cats that were up for adoption. “But the silver tabby—she was so cute—and that big white one—”

“Oh, we can only take one home, okay? As painful as it is.” Taeyong could see Johnny wanted them all too but that would just be way too much. “We have to choose one.”

Taeyong pouted at the picture of the silver tabby. “But what if River doesn’t get adopted?” He whispered. He knew the rate of older cats getting adopted wasn’t as good as the kittens. It saddened him.

Johnny sighed. “You know, Jaehyun’s talked to me about maybe getting a pet too, we could talk to them about it.”

“Oh, that’s perfect! Doyoung definitely doesn’t want to take care of a baby again, but getting an older cat is perfect for them!” Taeyong pressed the kitten in his lap closer. “That means I want you, Charcoal!”

As if on cue, the kitten meowed and Taeyong placed a delighted kiss atop its head.

  
  
  
  
  


They decided not to change Charcoal’s name, Taeyong already having gotten attached to it by calling it out too many times. They took him home and Johnny had to convince Taeyong no, he couldn’t sleep with the kitten in their bed. It was a lot of kissing his pouting lips to get him to agree, but Johnny also knew he was just doing it to get kisses, he knew the kitten wasn’t going to end up sleeping on the bed, no matter what. They’d both done their research. They were going to be the best cat-dads on the planet.

They snuggled into bed that night with easy smiles on their faces.

“You know,” Taeyong started, curled up into Johnny’s side. “It’ll be nice to raise something together. We never actually got to raise our kids _ together _ -together.”

Johnny smiled. “I was thinking that too. I mean, we helped each other out a lot with our kids but they were never both of our responsibilities. Having Charcoal will be nice.”

Taeyong wiggled on their bed, shoving his face into the crook of Johnny’s neck with a laugh. “I’m too excited, I don’t know if I can sleep. I really think this is what I needed, what we needed.”

Johnny hummed, wrapping his arms around his husband tightly. “I’m excited to start this new parenting chapter with you, baby. With the two of us.” He angled his head down and Taeyong met him halfway to kiss.

“Let’s hope our sons don’t get too jealous of their new baby brother.”

Johnny snorted. “After the nonsense they’ve put us through? They better be.”

Taeyong laughed and Johnny didn’t think there was a sound he loved more in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to [ @bbtae21 ](https://twitter.com/bbtae21) on twitter for giving me the idea for them to adopt a kitten !!!!! ty <3
> 
> [ Twitter ](https://twitter.com/jokheiz)
> 
> [ Curious Cat ](https://curiouscat.me/jokheiz)


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